


The Real Treasure

by StoneSabre



Series: So the Ocean Soothes Our Scars [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: -Ish, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Weirdmageddon, Sea Grunkles, Stangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 11:24:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8665750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoneSabre/pseuds/StoneSabre
Summary: A simple treasure hunting detour forces Stanford to relive a horrifying memory.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for Day 6 of the Ford Safety Week event happening on tumblr, where the theme of the day is "adventures on the Stan-o-war II."

"Stanley, you're up!" Ford exclaimed as Stan entered the ship's cabin. "I already made you coffee. Today's an important day."

"I'm not drinking that. Probably has chemicals and whatnot."

"Nothing but a dark roast blend with five spoons of sugar and non-dairy cream. Just how you like it." Ford announced like he was some kind of waiter at a fancy restaurant.

"Not sure I want to ask how you know that." Stan muttered as he took a seat across from Ford at the table near the porthole.

"I'm your brother Stanley. I've known how you like your coffee since we were adolescents."

Their small talk seemed to convince Stan to sit down and have the drink Ford prepared for him “So what’s important about today?” Stan asked between sips of his hot beverage.

"Our navigations indicate we're only a few miles out from a place called Midday's Dream."

"Mid... what now? What?"

"It's an island that supposedly houses a hidden natural wonder, just southwest of our current location," Ford explained as he reached for a paper in his longcoat and showed Stan an old sketch of what looked to be the inside of a cave. "Record's are scarce, but it's said there's a great treasure located in a cavern hidden beneath the surface, though it only unveils itself at the stroke of noon on this very date. I was skeptical at first, but just last night, my radar started to pick up on an anomaly coming from the island."

"You really think we'll find treasure?" Stan asked, taking another sip.

"We could find treasure. We could find something else entirely. Something supernatural. We could find both. Either way, I'm eager to find out. What about you?"

"Hm, I don't know. Taking treasure from a supernatural location? Sound's like it'd be forbidden or some- just kidding, let's go get some treasure!"

* * *

Stan and Ford's travels towards the disturbance brought them to an island with a lush, tropical forest. They followed Ford's radar until they found the entrance to a cavern next to a waterfall.

"Is this it?"

"We won't know for sure if we don't see for ourselves."

Ford wanted to approach the cave, but he felt his feet were stuck in the ground. He was suddenly apprehensive about going into the cave without knowing where it would lead to. As ridiculous as it was, he couldn't help but feel like he was staring into the portal all over again.

"Hey, you alright Sixer?"

When Stan spoke with an expression of concern, Ford he remembered he was here with his brother. They weren't fighting. They were together, and they had each other's back.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're not scared are you?"

"What? C'mon, this is nothing."

"Then lets' go get that treasure!" Stan encouraged, nudging Ford in the arm before starting towards the cavern.

"This is nothing." Ford whispered to himself as he followed Stan into the cave.

Inside the cave, the ground led down into a compact cove filled with water.

“Looks like the path goes under the surface from this point. Mean’s we’re gonna have to swim.” Ford observed, prompting them both to shed their heavier articles of clothing. Stan remained in his tee-shirt and boxers while all that remained on Ford was his undergarments. Ford tightened the radar fastened to his wrist. “I’ll go first.”

Ford waded some distances into the water, and found himself staring into the scarcely lit pool that concealed the hidden path - into the face of the unknown.

"You sure this is the way to get there, Sixer?"

Ford's response was delayed by an instinctual sensation of dread.

"No."

The surface of the water started to ripple and tremble. A rumble echoed through the cave and Ford's heart began to pound.

"The hell's goin' on?"

"I'm not sure." Ford gasped, but just as he said that, the water in the cave began to swirl. "It's a whirlpool!"

But it was too late. Ford's legs were swept up in the tide and he was sucked into the water.

"Stanley, I can't get out!"

"Sixer, no!"

"Stanley!"

Ford's hand reached out for Stan, but he was already out of his grasp. The last thing he saw before going under was his brother reaching for him with a helpless, terrified expression. He was being sucked into the portal all over again, the unknown separating him from his brother.

_"Oh no, what do I do!?"_

_"Stanley! Stanley! Do something!"_

The water threw him about and crashed painfully into his lungs, knocking all of the oxygen out of him.

He blacked out.

* * *

  _...ixer..._

Muffle sounds rang through the void incomprehensibly.

_...nford..._

Someone was calling his name, but he couldn't see. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath.

_...Stanford..._

He started to feel again. An immense weight was pressing again his chest.

"Come on, Sixer! Wake up!"

He forced his eyes open to see someone looming over him, but darkness and intense blurriness obscured the person's face.

"That's it, Poindexter. Come back to me."

Ford doubled over and forced buckets of water out of his bowels. The breaths he had to take were painful and ragged, but there was a comforting hand against his back. He turned back over as another hand was placed on his chest. The haze in his vision began to clear, revealing the face of the person looming over him.

"Stanley..." his voice was so weak, he almost didn't hear himself. "What happened? The portal... were we both pulled in?"

"What- no! You fell into a whirlpool. You almost drowned."

"How did I survive?"

"I had to dive in after you, genius, so you better thank me for saving your ass!"

Ford's body was wracked by another coughing fit, and Stan held onto him tighter. Though he was in pain, he was grateful for his brother's contact. He wasn't alone on a desolate world. Stan was here with him. He was still here.

"You jumped into a vortex, just to save me?"

"I don't care if you got sucked into hell itself," Stan asserted, his brow creasing with determination, "I'm not letting you go... ever again."

All Ford could feel in that moment was immense happiness and relief that had emerged in an unknown placed with Stan still alongside. Ford pulled himself close to Stan and rested his head on his shoulder, as a silent showing of thanks. Stan understood the gesture, and held his arm under his brother for support.

"Ah, heh," Stan chuckled bashfully. "You know I'd do anything for family. Now, I need to know the last thing you remember? You seem kind of delirious."

"Last thing I remember we were-" Ford began to recount before his eyes went wide as he remembered their destination. "The anomaly! We have to get there..." Ford coughed as he struggled to push himself to a sitting position, "...before the clock strikes noon."

"Woah, Sixer. Just take it easy."

Ford looked around their surrounds, but any light in the cave was much too scarce to make out anything. "Where are we? Where did the whirlpool take us?"

"You tell me. You have the radar."

"That's right!" Ford exclaimed as he glanced at the device on this wrist, "Well it seems... we're already right on top of it. And with only two minutes to spare. Right in the nick of time! We made it Stanley!"

"You're awfully bubbly for a man who almost died."

"I can't help it, Stanley. The excitement of making new discoveries is what keeps me moving."

"So what do we do now?"

"Now, we wait for the stroke of midday, when the treasure - or whatever else is hidden in this cave - reveals itself."

Ford had regained enough strength to pull himself into a sitting position. Stan sat down next to him.

"So, Stanley, surely you've been thinking about what kind of treasure we might find."

"Oh, yeah. Probably gold or... somethin'. I dunno."

"I thought you'd be a little more excited." Ford observed, concerned.

"Kinda hard to get excited about treasure after your brother almost drowned."

Ford almost began to regret coming to this island. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Stan into thinking he might lose him again.

"So how long do we have now?" Stan asked, changing the subject.

"Let's see, we have about..." Ford checked the device on his wrist and grinned with anticipation. "It's midday!"

"Really?" Stan exclaimed as he sprang to his feet. "That means the treasure here now!"

"I thought you said you weren't excited!"

"Are you kidding? The scent of money is the oxygen I breath. Riches course through my veins. Bring on the sweet treasure!" Stan boasted as he pumped his fists in anticipation. "...So how is this gonna work exactly? Is gold gonna start pouring from the ceiling? Is it gonna rise up from the water? Is it just gonna appear out of thin air?"

"Stanley."

"It's midday isn't it? Where's the treasure? We should see it by now? You said it'd be here, right?"

"Stanley."

"I swear, I find out those sailors were making up a bunch of fish tales, I'll dig up their graves, grab hold of their bones, and..."

"Stanley!"

"What? WHAT!?"

Ford pointed straight up. "Look."

Stan followed his brother's finger upwards. The walls of the cave spiraled up high until they reached an opening where the sun filtered through. Light from the midday sun was shining into the cave through the opening, revealing the walls to be covered in bright brilliant, purple colored crystals.

"Well," Stan breathed, somewhat awestruck "It's not gold."

"No, but it's treasure, of a different kind. A natural wonder."

But just as their eyes were locked to the sight, and their breaths were captured by the carousel of crystals, the sun reached the pinnacle of it's trek across the sky. The brightest of the sun's rays shined straight into the cave, and the crystal-covered walls erupted in the most brilliant display of light either of them had ever seen. The entire cave was alit in a spectrum of bright, iridescence colors. Every way they looked, the lights seemed to dance like an aurora along the walls.

"Holy Moses..." Stan exhaled, his awe completely overtaking him now.

"I've traveled through countless dimensions and seen some amazing things, but I've never seen anything like this," Ford praised in earnest. He had records of wonders that no one else could imagine. But this was different. This was more real. This was whole. Above all, he knew these emotions were more intense because had his brother to experience it with him.

His gaze drifted to his brother at his side. As he stood in the cave taking in his surroundings, his eyes, his skin, and all of his essence seemed to radiate as if absorbing the crystalline light. Ford allowed himself a wistful smile.

"I don't say this about much other than my own face, but damn that's beautiful." Stan admitted as he wrapped his arm around Ford's shoulders. "I gotta thank you for asking me to come out here with ya. Some people don't get to see anything like this in their lifetime, but when I've got a brother like you who keeps an eye out for awesome stuff like this, there's never a dull a moment."

Despite himself and his brother's encouraging words, Ford couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of sorrow behind his smile. He couldn't describe just how thankful he was that Stan agreed to sail the ocean with him. He lived so long trying to deny the one thing he always wanted, because he thought he needed something greater. But he knew now there was nothing greater than being with family, which was the one thing Stan always understood better than him. It pained him just how long it took him to come to that same understanding.

"Listen Sixer, there probably isn't gonna be a better time to say this. I spent a lot of time in Gravity Falls trying to get you to thank me after you came out of the portal, but I'm standing here right now realizing I haven't thanked you enough for anything, really. The fact is you came and asked me to sail around the world and discover new places and look for treasure with you, after all these years. I never wanted anything more in my life."

"Please don't thank me, Stanley. I'm not..." Ford's word's trailed off into a grieving sigh. "I've made too many mistakes. I spent decades denying you the journey we should have set out on when we were kids, just so I could go and make a mess of everything. Even now, I can't stop putting you in danger."

"Sixer..."

"When I fell into the water - when I tried to grab your hand, but couldn't reach - Before I was submerged under the vortex, I saw you reaching out for me. You looked just like you did on that day three decades ago. It was like I was being pulled into that cursed portal all over again." Ford's voice began to crack. "I was so scared I was gonna lose you again."

"Stanford, you're talkin' nonsense." Stan asserted, but he couldn't ignore his brother's eyes beginning to well up with tears. He held Ford by the shoulders and stared straight into his eyes. "I spent thirty years trying to get you out of that place. Even if you had'a gotten sucked into another portal, I wouldn't think twice about jumping in after you. Making sure you're safe is the one thing that always mattered to me, and I don't feel any different now."

Stan pulled his brother closer to him and held him in his arms. Ford was on the verge of collapsing in tears, but it was his brother's embrace that held him together.

"You'll never lose me again, Sixer. I swear on every last breath that I have."

Ford allowed the tears to fall freely as he returned the embrace. There was grief in his cry, for the lifetime of pain and rejection he caused his brother, but there was happiness that he still loved him through it all.

"Stanley... thank you."

Unlike that day thirty years ago, Stan and Ford reflected on this day in triumph and humbleness, knowing they found the treasure they had sought out for a lifetime. It was not mountains of gold or glimmering crystals, or the the majesty of the world around them.

It was the discovery that the bond they shared with each other would never truly be broken.

They wouldn't trade that for all the riches in the multiverse.


End file.
